May 10, 2007 Vol 1 Issue 19

Good Thursday to all!

For the past year, I’ve belonged to Lorrie Morgan-Ferrero’s Mastermind Group. This weekend is one of the bi-annual Mastermind group retreats—a cruise to Mexico. I know, business is hard work, but hey, somebody has to do it! So today’s issue is a little short as I have to get packing!

When is 10 Heads Better Than One?

When it is a Mastermind Group!

Sometimes called a coaching group or an "experience exchange" group, it is a collection of diverse people who will help you systematically maximize your business, financial, and personal potential!

A Mastermind Group is a positive way to share ideas and address problems among a small group of people who trust and respect one another.

Each member of our group comes from a different line of work bringing with them their individual strengths. Whether it is strategic planning, business development, or marketing ideas—the primary purpose is to use the power of brainstorming and collective thinking to accomplish more in less time by working together. Even when developing strategies for someone else, we all learn new ways to help our individual businesses. Think about it—when it comes down to basic business strategies—business is business.

An added benefit is being shown your blind spots. We all naturally tend to see things from only our perspective, but a Mastermind Group is one of the quickest ways I know to be “shown reality” in a safe and trusted environment. As a member of the group, I gain the combined talents of all and the ability to see things from multiple perspectives. At times, constructive criticism and valuable opinions have encouraged me to look at issues with fresh eyes.

“The measure of success is not whether you have a tough problem to deal with, but whether it is the same problem you had last year.” —John Foster Dulles

Consider a Mastermind Group to keep you moving forward each year.

Have a great day in whatever your adventure,

To Success! To Life!
Sharon

“The measure of success is not whether you have a tough problem to deal with, but whether it is the same problem you had last year.” —John Foster Dulles

A printable Action Quote pdf—
John Foster Dulles .pdf

Survival guide for Mastermind Newbies:

Set your outcome and intention before seeking a group.
Be willing to do the work—MMGs do take time.
Be choosy about what group best suits you.
Be willing to share your ideas and opinions freely.
Be open to feedback and new ways of thinking.
Most important: Check your ego at the door.

To create your own group, consider using the Who, What, When, Where and How method:

Who would be a good fit for the group? Diversity is good. Having different industries and skills represented provides a better base for a wide variety of strategies to solve problems. Be choosy. Prepare an exit strategy for members that are not working out beforehand and stick to it.
What is our main purpose? Develop a common purpose early so everyone in the group will have similar expectations. Problems can occur from unrealistic expectations of the group. The concept of collective thinking is not for everyone.
When, and where will we meet? This really depends on if it is a local group and a national group (like Lorrie’s).
How will the meetings be structured? Establish the group's protocol before the group is formed. Set ground rules for how feedback is delivered before the group starts. Consider if the group will have a coordinator, a moderator, a forum, etc?

The benefits that a well-organized Mastermind Group can bring to your business and your life can be invaluable. Consider a Mastermind Group to help take your business (and thinking) to the next level.

Impression Engineers is passionate about creating marketing materials that reflect your company's excellence. Let us create an excellent blogsite, website or e-zine for you, or perhaps it's time to mix direct mail postcards or newsletters with your web marketing. Drop us a note.

Let us make your marketing look as good as you are! Our “engineers” have a long history in communication, sales, internet marketing, quality design, powerful sales copy, “back-end” support and site hosting. What can we do for you today? Contact us at info@impressionengineers.com

WANT TO USE THIS ARTICLE IN YOUR EZINE OR WEBSITE? You can, as long as you include this complete blurb with it: Management expert, business writer, consultant, and coach Sharon Sayler publishes the weekly newsletter Best Impressions! to subscribers world-wide. Ms. Sayler delivers targeted marketing and business solutions, tips, tricks and practical skills to small businesses with big dreams.

Best Impressions is for anyone who wants to Freedom, Fulfillment and Financial Success.
WANT TO SEE MORE ARTICLES LIKE THIS ONE? See Impression Engineers Success Strategies! Do you have clients, colleagues, staff, or friends who are overworked, overwhelmed, stalled and looking for ideas, tips and techniques that will get them further faster and easier? I encourage you to forward this issue of Best Impressions so they can subscribe and get great biz solutions each week too!

WAS THIS FORWARDED TO YOU? WANT YOUR OWN SUBSCRIPTION?
Subscribe to Best Impressions and get IE’s "FREE Action Plan to an Impressive Website" plus access to all of our business resources.

We hate spam, too! No renting or selling your email address. Period.